“Better to open a mask than close a school” - paediatricians advocate open schools

How high is the risk of infection in the classroom?

A query at German children's clinics shows that there is not a high number of unreported cases in the number of infections among children.

A clear argument for paediatricians.

Munich - On Wednesday, the Prime Ministers and the Chancellor want to tighten the winter timetable for the corona pandemic.

An important point here:

We are talking about class divisions in the higher grades in regions with still high numbers of infections.

But the question of how high the

actually is

remains controversial.

Corona: is the risk of infection really that high in schools?

Children's clinics evaluate data

With a data collection, the directors of more than

across Germany are now

providing

an argument for keeping schools open.

Under the leadership of the St. Hedwig University Clinic in Regensburg, data from a total of

who had gone to a children's clinic from May to November 18 and were routinely

tested

for the

were

evaluated

.

Corona in children - how high is the real figure?

The result of the query: Only

.

Data from children between 0 and 18 years of age were evaluated, including

, but mostly

- for example children who had to be treated after a fall.

The doctors evaluate the results of their query as a clear sign that the number of

cases of

Sars-CoV-2 infected children is

lower than is often assumed.

Of the

from the clinics, according to Dr.

from the

Children's

only thought eight of them were infected at school.

In the overwhelming majority, the infection was found among friends and acquaintances.

Prof. Johannes Hübner, chairman of the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the Hauner Children's Hospital in Munich, says that it looks as if

in particular are

- among other things because they have a stronger immune system or have already formed antibodies partly due to previous illnesses.

His conclusion:

Rather, the virus spills over to schools when the numbers in the general population increase.

For Hübner it is clear: The collateral damage from school closings is more serious for children than the risk of infection in the classroom.

"Schools are not the main factor in the spread of Sars-CoV-2."

Prof. Johannes Huebner from the Hauner Children's Hospital in Munich

His colleague Dr.

Dominik Ewald, board member of the Bavarian Association of Paediatricians and Adolescents, also calls for: "Better to put on a mask than to close to school." It is important that

rules are observed

on the way to

and that

not vented .

"Then I am very hopeful that we can keep the schools open over the winter."

Criticism of the pediatricians' analysis - data currently has little informative value

However, there is also criticism of the pediatricians' analysis.

For example,

criticizes the

fact that the data collected over the summer are currently of

value because the number of infections only increased significantly again in autumn.

In fact, Kabesch also explains that the proportion of people infected in children's clinics is around 1.3 percent if you only analyze the data from October to mid-November.

The doctors see this as further evidence that the infection process has been well recorded and that there is no high number of unreported cases.

"The numbers are not unexpectedly high as in the first wave, when many children were not tested," says Kabesch.

As of Monday (November 23), according to the Ministry of Culture, around four percent of the students in Bavaria were not in class because of quarantine, 0.24 percent because of positive corona tests.

Two percent of the teachers are currently in quarantine, 0.3 percent of them have tested positive. 

The number of

with

increased immensely compared to September.

A group of children in particular is more likely to be infected, as a corona graphic from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) shows.

Würzburg daycare study: results probably in February

Half-time in the corona study at Würzburg daycare centers: Researchers expect the first results of their study on the early detection of

in February

.

As things stand, the studies could be completed in January, said microbiologist Oliver Kurzai from the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology.

Despite the partial lockdown, the tests with children, parents and carers from day-care centers ran normally.

Approximately

and

of preschool age from the region Würzburg regularly to infection with the

tested.

The aim of the investigation is to enable childcare despite corona outbreaks.

(lby)